Draft and buffer gear



Dec. 12, 1933. H. J. LOUNSBURY 1,938,704

DRAFT AND BUFFER GEAR Filed March 6, 1933 liwenial" Harvey J fmurwlmry Patented Dec. 12, 1933 DRAFT AND BUFFER GEAR Harvey J. Lounsbury, Glen Ellyn, 111., assignor to W. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application March 6, 1933. Serial No. 659,790

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in draft and buffer gears for mine cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a combined draft and buffer gear, especially adapt- 5 ed for use in connection with mine cars, so designed that it does not encroach upon the space provided for the lading of the car and yet furnishes the maximum shock absorbing capacity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined draft and buffer gear of rugged construction and high capacity, designed to be mounted at the end of a mine car entirely exteriorly or" the car in cooperating relation with a similar gear on the adjacent car of a train.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide, on adjacent cars of a train, combined draft and bufiing gears of the characterspecified in the preceding paragraph, together with couplers of the automatic type connecting the cars,

wherein the gears are so placed between the cars and so disposed with respect to the couplers as to take full advantage of the available space to accommodate shock absorbing means of maximum capacity. 7 y r Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the descriptionand claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a. part horizontal sectional view and a part plan view, broken away, of one end of a mine car, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is an elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 1. And Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 33 of Figure 2, showing the coupler in elevation.

In said drawing, 10 designates one end portion of a mine car, which is shown as provided with a vertical end wall 11, a floor member 12, and

an angle beam 13 connecting the end wall 11 to the floor member 12, the angle beam forming in effect an end sill member. 7 I

My improved draft and buffer gear comprises broadly a supporting housing A; a casing B; a transversely disposed draft beam C; a coupler D; a connecting pin E; stop pins F-F; and shock absorbing springs G-G and HI-I.

The housing A comprises a flat plate 14 having outstanding spaced top and bottom flanges 15-45 and spaced vertical side flanges 1616 connecting the top and bottom flanges. The plate 14 extends above the top wall 15 and laterally beyond the side walls 1616 and is secured to the wall 11 of the car by means of rivets or other securing elementsextending through the plate and the wall 11.

The casing B has spaced horizontal top and bottom walls 17-47, spaced vertical side walls 18-18, and a front wall formed by sections 30 19-19 and 20. At the forward side, the casing B is provided with a pocket 21, which is defined by the wall section 20 and a pair of side walls 22-22 connecting the wall section 20 with the sections 1919. The pocket 21 is of such a size 85 as to accommodate the coupler D and permit a certain amount of lateral swinging movement of the same. The casing B has the rear end thereof telescoped within the housing A and isconnected to the housing by means of the pins FF, which extend through openings 23-23 provided in the top and bottom walls l5-15 of the housing and slots 2424 provided in the top and bottom wallsof the casing B. The pins F-jl, in addition to holding the casing B assembled with the housing A, limit'the outward movement of the casing B by engagement with the rear end walls of the slots 2424. r

The draft beam C is disposed transversely of the mechanism within the housing A immediately to the rear of the pocket 21 of the casing B. As most clearly illustrated in Figuresl and 3, the draft beam C comprises a transversely extending, flat bar 25 having top and bottom, forwardly extend ing, spaced flanges 2626, whichembrace the shank of the coupler D. The flanges 26--26 are provided with vertically aligned slots 272'7 at opposite sides, through which the pins F--F extend, thereby operatively connecting the draft beam C to the housing A and the casing B. The 0 pins F-F restrict the outward movement of the draft beam C. At the center of the beam C', the top and bottom flanges 26-26 thereof are provided with vertically aligned openings 28-28 adapted to accommodate the connecting pin E. The draft beam C normally bears on the vertical rear wall 14 of the housing A and has its opposite ends spaced from the vertical side walls 1616 of said housing, thereby providing abutment surfaces on said wall 14 for the inner ends of the springs HH. I

The coupler D is of the well-known automatic pocket type, having the head 29 thereof provided with a rearwardly extending stem or shank 30 of reduced size. The shank 30 extends through a central opening 31 provided in the transverse wall 20, which forms the rear wall of the pocket 21'. As most clearly shown in Figure 1, the coupler head 29 is accommodated within the pocket 21,

and the at rear end face 32 of the coupler head normally abuts the outer face of the wall 20 of the casing B. At the inner end, the stem 30 of the coupler is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 33 adapted to accommodate the connecting pin E. The coupler D is anchored to the draft beam C by the pin E, which extends through aligned openings 3434 in the top and bottom flanges 2626 of the draft beam C, through the slot 33 of the coupler shank 30, and through vertically aligned slots 3535 in the top and bottom walls 17-17 of the casing B.

The shock absorbing springs GG and HH of my improved draft and buffing gear are arranged in pairs, the members of each pair GG and HH being disposed at opposite sides of the central pocket 21 of the casing B. The springs GG are interposed between the draft beam C and the front wall sections 1919 of the casing B and have their opposite ends bearing respectively on the forward side of the bar member 25 of the beam C and the inner surfaces of said front wall sections 1919. As most clearly illustrated in Figure 1, the portions of the wall sections 19-19 on which the springs GG bear are slightly forwardly offset with respect to the remaining portions of the wall sections 1919 and have inwardly projecting central bosses, which engage within the coils of the springs GG. The bar 25 of the draft beam C is also provided with similar centering bosses on the forward side thereof, which engage within the inner ends of the coils of the springs GG.

The springs H-H are disposed at opposite sides of the springs GG and have'their opposite ends bearing respectively on the forward side of the plate 14 of the housing A and on the inner faces of the outer end portions of the wall sections 1919 of the casing B. The plate 14 and the portions of the wall sections l919 which cooperate with the springs H-H are also provided with centering bosses, which engage within the coils of these springs.

The normal position of the parts is that shown in the drawing, and the mechanism is so proportioned that the head of the coupler D projects outwardly beyond the end wall sections 1919 of the casing B so as to properly cooperate with the automatic coupler of an adjacent car. More than half of the length of the coupler head 29 is thus accommodated within the pocket 21. By providing the pocket 21 for the coupler head 29 in the casing B and ofisetting'the front wall sections 19-19 with respect to the rear wall 20 of the pocket, a maximum amount of spring space is provided within the casing, thereby making it possible to employ shock absorbing springs of maximum length and capacity.

The operation of my improved draft and buffing gear is as follows: Upon a pulling action being applied to the coupler D, the draft beam C is moved outwardly away from the end of the car, thereby compressing the springs GG against the outer walls 19*19 of the casing B which, at this time, is held stationary by the stop pins F-F engaging the inner end walls of the slots 24 24 of the top and bottom walls l'71'7 of the casing B. Outward movement of the draft beam C is arrested by engagement of the inner end walls of the slots 2'7-27 with the stop'pins F-F, thereby limiting compression of the springs GG.

When a bufiing force is applied to the coupler head 29, the coupler D will be forced inwardly against the casing B through the shouldered engagement of the coupler head 29 with the'rear wall 20 of the pocket 21 of said casing B. During this rearward movement of the casing B, the springs GG will be compressed against the draft beam C, which is held stationary by engagement with the plate member 14 of the housing A, and the springs H-H will be compressed directly against said plate 14. Inward movement of the coupler D and the casing B is permitted by the slotted connections with the stop pins FF and the connecting pin E of the coupler D. As clearly shown in Figure l. the bar 25 of the draft beam C is provided with a central opening 36 to accommodate the inner end of the coupler stem during rearward movement of the coupler. Inward movement of the casing B and compression of the springs GG and HH will be limited by engagement of the pins F-F with the front end walls of the slots 2-24z of the top and bottom walls 171'. of the casing B and by engagement between the rear end of the casing and the plate 14 of the housing A.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate ail changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a combined draft and buffer gear for mine cars, the combination with a supporting housing secured to the end of the car and disposed entransverse front wall provided with an inwardly offset central section forming a pocket adapted to accommodate a coupler member, said pocket having a vertical back wall provided with a central opening; a transversely disposed draft beam within said housing rearwardly of the pocket of said casing; shock absorbing springs within said casing bearing at opposite ends on said draft beam and front wall of the casing respectively; means for restricting outward movement of the casing; and a coupler having a head and a stem rearwardly extending from said head, said head being accommodated within the pocket of said casing and said stem extending through the opening of the rear wall of said pocket and having a lost motion connection with the draft beam,

said coupler head being of greater width than the opening in the rear wall of said pocket and I mine cars, the combination with a supporting housing secured to the end of the car, said housing being open at the forward end and having a transverse rear wall; of a coupler having a head provided with a rearwardly projecting stem of reduced size; a casing telescoped within said housing, said casing being open at the rear end and having a central pocket at its front end accommodating the coupler head, said pocket having a transverse rear wall on which the rear end of the coupler head normally bears, said casing having transverse vertical front walls at opposite sides of said pocket, spaced forwardly from said rear wall of the pocket a distance greater than half the overall length of the coupler head, said rear wall of the pocket having a central opening through which the stem of the coupler extends; a transversely disposed draft beam within the housing havinga lost motion connection with the coupler stem and bearing on the rear wall of the housing; means for restricting outward movement of the casing; and shock absorbing springs interposed between the draft beam and the front wall of the housing.

3. In a combined draft and buffer gear for mine cars, the combination with a supporting housing secured to the end of the car and disposed entirely exteriorly of said car; of a casing slidingly supported on said housing, said casing having a transverse front wall provided with an inwardly offset central section forming a pocket adapted to accommodate a coupler member, said pocket having a vertical back wall provided with a central opening therethrough; a transversely disposed beam movably supported in the housing, said beam being disposed inwardly of said pocket of the casing; means limiting outward movement of the casing; coil springs within the casing at opposite sides of said pocket yieldingly opposing relative movement of the beam and casing; additional coil springs opposing inward movement of said casing only; a coupler having a head member and a rearwardly projecting shank of smaller transverse cross-section than said head member, thereby providing a transverse abutment face at the inner end of said head member, said coupler head member being accommodated within the pocket of the casing and having the abutment face thereof normally bearing on the rear wall of the pocket, said opening of the rear wall of the pocket slidingly receiving the coupler shank, said shank having a longitudinally extending slot at its inner end; and a pin fixed to said draft beam extending through the slot of the coupler shank.

4. In a combined draft and buffer gear for mine cars, the combination with a supporting plate fixed to the end of the car, said plate having forhead; a casing having spaced side walls and spaced top and bottom walls, said casing being slidable between the flanges of the supporting plate, said casing being open at the rear end and having a central pocket at its forward end accommodating the coupler head, said pocket having a transverse rear wall provided with a central opening through which the coupler stem extends, the shoulders of said head having engagement with the rear wall of said pocket about said opening, said casing having vertical front wall sections at opposite sides of said pocket, spaced forwardly from said rear wall of the pocket and rearwardly of the outer end of the coupler head; a transversely disposed draft beam having a lost motion connection with the coupler stem; means for limiting outward movement of the casing; and two pairs of shock absorbing springs, the members of one of said pairs being disposed at opposite sides of the pocket of the casing and bearing at opposite ends on said draft beam and front wall section of the casing respectively, and the members of the other pair of said springs being disposed at opposite sides of the first named pair of springsand bearing at opposite ends on said supporting plate and front wall section of the casing respectively. 

